


A True Masquerade

by Anonymous



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, F/M, Fluff, Hetalia Countries Using Human Names, How Do I Tag, One Shot, Protectiveness, Romance, Self-Insert, i guess, technically a, the ending is the best part i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 10:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20290114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Francis hosts a masquerade ball for all the nations to attend, but it comes with a catch. (Fem!OC/Russia)ORa continuation of a really old fanfic one of my best friends wrote about hetalia self-inserts falling in love. this one involves luna, the personification of ottawa, pining over ivan. also i swear i love prussia but he's always the one written like this so what can i do?





	A True Masquerade

Given that it was entirely Francis’ idea, it was a miracle it worked so well, and a miracle that it worked at all. The concept by itself is the definition of outlandish; what even constitutes a “true masquerade ball”? Well, according to the nation of love himself, magic. God knows what he offered them, but somehow Francis had successfully enlisted the help of the Magic Trio: Arthur, Lukas, and Vladimir. Masks wouldn't be necessary here; instead, a spell would be cast that would affect every attendee; no one would be able to recognize anyone else by just their appearance or voice alone. While one wouldn’t be blind, per say, any recognition would be gone—temporarily, of course. The idea relied somewhat on the nations (and assorted others) being able to keep a secret, which was doubtful, but Francis knew that the opportunities for all manner of cruel tricks would surely keep their mouths shut. That was his grand vision, a guessing game that always kept you guessing; the perfect brewing ground for mysterious budding romances and feverish one night stands alike. (Though, it also had the potential for disastrous consequences. Most bands of siblings had agreed-upon codewords if they had an inkling that things might be heading in the wrong direction, thank god.)

Going dress shopping with Alexis and Cassidy has been so much fun, but now that the realization that she was truly alone in this crowded ballroom washed over her, Luna couldn’t be more anxious. Everyone in the room had been reduced to personifications of beauty and little more, and the fact that they were all on a level playing ground for once made her feel just a little bit better, but the fact that she had no one to lean upon when it all became too much evened her opinion on the matter out.

She found herself lingering on the edges of the ornate ballroom. There was so much to see: ivory-colored walls covered in delicate gold embellishments and grand arching windows that allow the night sky to be properly admired, crystal chandeliers and domed ceilings enveloped in murals and alabaster corinthian columns. Most of these features were obstructed by a pulsing sea of nations adorned with every color of fabric known to man and then some. While a large portion of the crowd was currently on the dance floor, the majority of them could be seen lingering on the sidelines like Luna, only they were laughing and drinking.

She laughed to herself. Cassidy was probably already blackout drunk by now, and god knows what kind of mischief Alexis was getting herself into. Luna was sure she remembered what their dresses looked like, but glancing around the room, she couldn’t find them anywhere. Maybe Arthur’s magic was working for once after all.

She glanced down at herself. Her blush pink ball gown was really the only reason she was here at all; she would gladly take any excuse to wear such a pretty dress. Cassidy and Alexis had come over to help her with her make-up, and honestly, they had done such a good job that even Luna herself thought she might be pretty. The finishing touch was the sunflower pin in her hair, giving away who she  _ really _ wanted to dance with.

The song slowed to a stop, and everyone clapped for the dancers. The noise brought the Canadian back to reality just in time for her to notice someone approaching her. He looked so familiar, and there was something about his smile that struck her so, but she couldn’t put a finger on what exactly that was.

“And who has left such a beautiful woman all by herself on a night like this?” He took her hand in his, then raised it to his lips. “Might I trouble you for a dance, madam?” A blush rose to her cheeks, but breaking through her flustered stupor, she nodded and curtsied.

“It would be my pleasure.” she smiled. He led her to the center of the dance floor, taking her left hand in his and putting the other on her waist. The band started up again, playing a beautiful waltz. When the man smiled down at her yet again, she realized who he was.

“Your party is quite the hit, Papa,” she grinned back at him. “but I can spot a shameless flirt like you a mile away.”

He looked shocked for just a moment or two, then gave a sheepish smile and a nervous laugh. “Guilty as charged, I’m afraid. You’ve found me out.”

“Found Gilbert or Antonio yet?” Luna asked, trying her best to keep a conversation while focusing on the dance. “Or are they already blackout drunk?”

“I can’t say for sure. You’re the only one I’ve figured out so far tonight.”

“I practically told you, Papa. You didn’t figure anything out.”

He feigned offense. “Oh, what have I done to deserve such cruel treatment? And from my own flesh and blood too, oh what—”

“Where would you like me to start?” the pair broke into hearty laughter, and for the first time that evening, Luna really felt like attending this party was a good idea. She couldn’t remember the last time she shared a laugh with Francis without hitting him afterwards. It was nice. Then his eyes drifted to the clip in her hair, and a smirk crawled its way onto his face.

“Looking for a certain someone?” he teased. “A certain lover of sunflowers, peut être?” Her blush darkened, and if his grip was just a touch more loose, she would’ve pulled away and hit him.

“T-that’s none of your business,  _ frog.”  _ Luna’s use of his most hated nickname was emphasized as their dance came to an end. “Besides, don’t you have other people to bother?”

He laughed, leading her back away from the throngs of people, towards the edge of the ballroom. Luna watched the light in his eyes dance when his gaze landed on a particularly attractive woman, one with dark brown hair that was curiously streaked with purple at the ends. As he excused himself and started to leave, he called back to Luna: “Bonne chance, ma chère! I hope you find who you’re looking for!”

The Canadian sighed and shook her head, the blush that had been ravaging her cheeks finally starting to take its leave.  _ Classic Francis _ . Careful to avoid the tipsy stragglers at the edge of the room, she started to wander, marveling at the awe-inspiring sight of it all. The band had started up again, playing another waltz, and Luna felt herself step into a stride alongside the beat of the song. It took every ounce of restraint she had not to twirl around just to watch her skirt flare, not that anyone around her was paying enough attention to even begin to care. When she passed by a set of glass doors leading to a balcony, she couldn’t help but glance outside. There was a group of people playing cards one moment, but when she blinked, they vanished into thin air. Maybe the one or two drinks she had earlier had affected her more than she initially thought. Shaking her head, she continued to saunter through the crowd, content with the role of observer.

A couple pushed past her, a girl with golden blonde hair and a boy with a certain unidentifiable light in his dark brown eyes. She turned her head as they passed by, and watched as the girl pushed him out onto the balcony and shoved him against the wall. She averted her eyes moments later and kept walking, imagining she would see that sight many times tonight, so there was no need to intrude by staring during such a private moment. The music seemed to grow louder, and so did the roar of the crowd, and while this noise certainly had an intoxicating effect, a wave of dizziness crashed over her at the very same time; the ballroom itself seemed to expand and contract. Luna tried to keep her head up, tried to keep moving, but it all proved too much for her. She didn’t dare escape onto the balcony, not wanting to interrupt anyone, so she settled for leaning against a mostly vacant section of wall, trying to catch her breath. She prayed this dizzy spell would be over quickly because believe it or not, there  _ were  _ things she wanted to accomplish at this party. Well, maybe just one thing. As soon as this thought formed in her head, Luna’s infamous luck struck again.

“How are you enjoying Francis’ little guessing game?” a masculine voice with a rather heavy, though indistinguishable accent asked, then without waiting for an answer added: “I’d say not so much, yes?”

In her stupor, she hadn’t noticed him approach. An incredibly tall man with rather childish features hovered over her, looking rather concerned. The scarf he wore in place of a tie would have been a dead giveaway in any other situation, but the Magic Trio’s spell was remarkably strong. Luna found this mysterious stranger painfully familiar and rather attractive in an unconventional sort of way. It took her a moment to regain her composure.

“Oh, n-no. The party is wonderful, and absolutely everyone and everything is just so beautiful, but sometimes, it’s a little overwhelming, you know?” she replied, trying her best to maintain eye contact with him.

Surprisingly enough, the stranger moved to lean on the wall beside her. “I understand. It gets a little hard to breathe for me sometimes too. It’s a lovely party, but there are too many things happening at once. I’m not used to it; home is so much more empty.”

She turned to look at him, expecting a mournful expression, but instead found a smile brighter than any crystal chandelier or golden presence in the room. How odd. How...

“How about a dance?” the words had left her mouth before she knew what to do with them. “It’ll make for a nice distraction for the both of us, don’t you think?” When his reply wasn’t immediate, she frantically started to backpedal: “E-er, that is, if you even want to, you really don’t have—”

“I would like that very much,” all at once, his warm smile became something far too intimate, though Luna couldn’t quite figure out what had changed. The light in his eyes flickered like a candle as he held out his hand to her. “Shall we?”

When she took his hand, his smile reverted back to that innocent, seemingly empty smile. She couldn’t help but examine it as they stepped into the center of the room as the band picked up their instruments. When they turned to one another and his one unoccupied hand drifted around to rest on her back, butterflies made a home of her stomach. They would’ve escaped through her mouth if she wasn’t careful, so it took her a moment or two to think of something to say. 

“I’ll warn you now, I have two left feet and don’t have control over either of them,” she returned that smile with a sheepish grin of her own, but the final phrase Luna didn’t add was:  _ when I’m around handsome almost-strangers _ .

“Ah, now I won’t feel so bad when I step on your feet too, then.”

“No hard feelings.”

The waltz began, and off they went. Despite their respective claims of clumsiness (and their rather noticeable height difference, which certainly made things a little more difficult), neither of them made any major mistakes, other than an occasional misstep or two, which was quickly corrected. Luna wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to make conversation while they danced, largely due to the words of a rather posh blond gentleman she had danced with earlier; he had said such chatter sullies the grace of the dance; Luna had found him attractive but rather off-putting. So she kept quiet, and tried not to openly ogle her current dance partner quite so much. 

And then she couldn’t help herself.

“Have you figured anyone out yet?” she asked.

“While this game is certainly amusing, I’m afraid I’m not a very good detective.” he replied. “I’ve never been good at this sort of thing.”

“Yeah, I’m afraid I’m too oblivious to figure out anything other than the scary-looking woman asking around for Ivan is probably Natalya, especially considering the fact that she was just carrying around a knife.” Luna’s heart skipped a beat when he spun her around. “I’m not entirely sure why Francis would invite her anyway.”

The man looked less than pleased, and muttered something under his breath that she couldn’t make out. Luna attempted to change the subject.

“Haven’t got me figured out yet either then?” 

“I can’t say that I have,” his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly, like he was searching for some revealing detail that he had missed before. “A shame, really. But to be fair, you haven’t given me any hints, none at all.”

“And you’ve given me hints about who you really are?” “Perhaps.” Mischievous was the only word to describe the tone of his voice. God, if Luna weren’t so goddamn oblivious maybe she could’ve figured him out by now. (Well, she had a hunch, but self-doubt was practically her middle name.) “Now it’s your turn.”

That damned blush made its triumphant return as she racked her brain for a suitable reply. “Oh, I’m not particularly remarkable; actually, not being noticeable tends to run in the family. I’m—”

A particularly terrible misstep right when the waltz was coming to an end nearly sent Luna tumbling to the floor, and she surely would have if the man’s arm hadn’t slid down to wrap around her waist and pull her to his chest. His concerned (yet somehow bemused) gaze was a hundred times more gentle than she expected it to be; any end of her previously unfinished sentence died in her throat.

“Clumsy,” his words were almost laughably matter of fact, but his addition offered some consolation: “Are you alright?”

The dizziness that had since vanished with the presence of this mysterious stranger suddenly returned; he was dangerously close. “Tha-Thank you for-for—ah, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Sunflower,” though Luna was sure he would have released her by now, he didn’t budge, and neither did the grin on his face. “you didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m okay.” Seemingly satisfied, he set her on her feet. Her face red hot, Luna quietly added. “Thank you.” He chuckled when she curtsied. 

Couples moved to replace those leaving the main floor. As Luna turned to leave, wanting to save herself any further embarrassment, she felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to face its owner. 

“Would you mind if I keep you company? No one else will talk with me as easily as you.”

She was dumbfounded at the fact that she (apparently) hadn’t screwed it all up just yet. “It would be my pleasure.” Testing the waters, she looped his arm through his. He didn’t seem to mind; if anything, he enjoyed the attempt at affection. 

The pair walked the ballroom at their leisure, taking their guesses as to who attendees were from just a glance or two. The three having a drinking contest at the bar just had to be Arthur, Ludwig and Matthias, they were almost certain of it; though Luna supposed that Ivan could just as well be one of the contestants, she still held out hope that he was the one keeping her company. The solitary wallflowers were all Matthew and maybe Ravis, and the ones pestered by other talkative attendees were probably Kiku and Toris (pestered by Yao and Feliks respectively, of course). 

“What about them, the three in the corner?” Luna pointed out a trio of drunkard flirts who currently had a few women absolutely captivated near the edge of the room that she and her partner had decided to idle in.

“What, aren’t they obvious?” the man replied in turn with his own question. Luna laughed. “I guess you’re right.” That trio couldn’t have been anyone else but the infamous Bad Touch Trio. Unfortunately, either her laugh was just a little too loud or they were standing a little too close to the aforementioned trio, because she caught the eyes of one of them, one with silver-white hair and blood red eyes. A few of the girls he was entertaining turned to glare at his new object of desire too, but Luna and her companion had already turned and started to walk away. Neither of him noticed his approach until she felt someone grab her arm. She tensed when she turned around, her grip on her companion tightening. As expected, he attempted to coax her away from said partner, a sleazy half-smirk occupying his otherwise attractive features as he eyed her. 

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you. My sincerest apologies,” Luna tried to politely decline his initial request for a dance with her with a shake of her head, an apologetic smile and a brief curtsy. She started to lead her friend away, but the red-eyed flirt seemed to like a challenge. 

“Oh come on, girlie,” he grabbed her arm a little more roughly, and refused to let go. “I’m sure I could show you a good time. Talk about getting lucky; most girls would give an arm and a leg to be with someone as awesome as—” 

Luna’s companion pulled her away, out of the other man’s grasp and to his own chest. The smile that crawled its way into his face was different from the ones that he had shown her; this one, though presenting a lighthearted and cheerful semblance, was really just a thin veil doing very little to hide the storm of malice that lingered just behind the eyes. It was the definition of intimidating, and definitely didn’t fit nicely with his bright tone of voice. 

“She said she is not interested, yes? You would do well to listen to her if you value your life, I should think.” 

Luna’s heart pounded in her ears, and she could tell the red-eyed man was absolutely terrified by the threat. That insufferable smirk was wiped clean off his face in an instant as he ran off without another word, not even chancing looking back at him. She turned to glance back up at her frightening savior, studying the curious expression on his face. When he met her gaze, she found that words wouldn’t come. Eventually, she managed.

“Thank you.” Her voice was deathly quiet. “I tend to have a hard time saying no to people. I’m sorry to cause such trouble for you.”

“It’s no problem at all; that moron was the one who started it.” The aforementioned malice vanished from his face when she spoke. “Are you alright, sunflower?”

Her heart fluttered at the nickname but sunk just a little when he released her. “Yes, thank you. He just really ruined the mood, huh?” 

“I’d be happy to make him disappear if you would like.”

Luna laughed a little harder than she should have at that. “I appreciate the offer, but I think it’s alright if he lives to see another day or two.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

The broken faucet of laughter that she had just repaired a moment or two ago was leaking again, but she didn’t pay it too much attention. “I will.”

The next few hours blurred together in a haze of joy, of white-hot adrenaline. Luna remembered his laugh and his smile and little else. She came to her senses when she and the “mysterious stranger” were standing on a balcony, enjoying the cool night air and the pleasence of each other’s presences. The combination of adrenaline and anonymity gave her the courage to make a request she never would have made otherwise. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

*****************************************

The night raged on in a fit of inextinguishable laughter and divine light. Some attendees wandered off with partners predetermined to be one-night stands and nothing more, others alone with nothing more obvious bruises and strikingly red marks on their face: the consequences of pretending to be someone they weren’t. The auspicious ones who made no such attempts to deceive others more than what was expected on this sort of occasion basked in rose-gold intimacy with people who were at once half-lovers and half-strangers. They were nestled in seemingly every corner and crevice of the ballroom that provided a voyeuristic almost-privacy; behind every silken curtain and beyond every glass balcony door was a moonlight tryst that tricked itself into believing that the sun would never rise again. It would end, eventually, as all things do. But right now they believed that they were terribly and truly in love, and after all these years of bitter antagonism, no one would dare take that away from them. 


End file.
